Scripture……………………. John 1:19-34; Isaiah 53

Sermon……………………………… Behold the Lamb

* Hymn ……… Just As I Am, without One Plea 501

* Benediction

* Congregation will please stand

Sunday School – Classes begin at 9:45 each Sunday morning for both children and adults.

The greeter for January is Rod Rummel.

Nursery Volunteers – This week – Susan Kim and Mary Raine

Next week – Kim and Emily Hunter

Fellowship Coffee – Immediately following the worship service downstairs in the church basement. Special Reminder – Next week is potluck snack providers Sunday. Anyone who wants to try a new recipe, this is your chance! And for those non-bakers among us, feel free to contribute a bag of chips, veggies or fruit, or cheese and crackers. Thank you to everyone who has participated so far. If you have any questions, please see Sheila Kenyon.

Warning: tough chapter ahead, men. You’ll want to give yourself some time to really reflect and think on what Eldredge is saying in this chapter. My emotions ranged from anger to embarrassment to fear to joy. Give yourself some time and space to be alone with the Lord (…wilderness) to encounter the deep crevices in your heart where you’ve stuffed away your painful memories. If anyone needs a hand working through this chapter, let me know.

Scriptures to read FIRST

Genesis 35

Genesis 49

Matthew 17:1-22

1 John (I added this for encouragement)

Read Chapter Four : The Wound

Discussion Questions

React to this statement, “Every man takes an arrow in the center of his heart, the place of his strength.” And, “..the question every…man is longing to ask…Do I have what it takes?”

– how does it make you feel?

– what rings true?
Eldredge posits that this “wound” is often given by the father, but could also come from another man with whom you are tightly connected. If it is true that you are wounded, what is the wound and where did it come from?

– where is it not yet healed and what aggravates it?
The author also talks about where a boy learns about manhood: from other men. Where did you learn? Where did you learn the WRONG thing from a man?

We have a Father in heaven. We have a Brother in Christ. What have they / are they teaching you about manhood? In what way does your relationship with them bind the wound? Get you beyond the wound? Reaffirm that you are, man, powerful. Support your thoughts with the Word.

Battle: last week we talked about the how you are commonly deceived, spiritually. This week, peel back the layers on the deception: why are you deceived in this way? You will most likely find another deception, even more deeply rooted than the first. Identify it and pray that the Lord would reveal a simple truth from the Word to you to refute it.

Adventure: Yep – pray with your wife daily.

Rescue: Plan a rescue. Even the Navy Seals plan a mission. Plan a rescue this week that you’ll execute next week. Be prepared to debrief it.

Eldredge posits: “If a man doesn’t find those things for which his heart is made, if he is never even invited to live for them from his deep heart, he will look for them in some other way.” (p 46)

What does Eldredge mean by “his deep heart”?

What are the things for which your heart was made?

React to this: “…he doesn’t even know how to fight for her or even that he is to fight for her…” (p 46)

Part Two: Fear

“This is every man’s deepest fear: to be exposed, to be found out, to be discovered as an imposter, and not really a man.” ( p 47)

( p 48) Eldredge asks, “How do you see yourself as a man?Are words like strong, passionate, and dangerous words you would choose?”

How do you answer that?

Part Three: Elaborate Fig Leafs

Adam is weak, sins and hides from the Lord. Like Adam, we hide behind elaborate fig leafs of our own design. Eldredge calls this posing.

Hard question: where and when are you posing?

Part Four: Perversion (The Twisting)

Perversion is twisting the truth. The sexual connotation is a good one to use to define it. But this twisting comes in other subtle ways. Eldredge claims that “strength” has gone bad and it comes out in two ways: anger for the wrong (twisted) reasons or ambition aimed wrongly (twisted). In a way, the anger reflects our design for battle. Ambition reflects our design for adventure.

In what way has your strength gone bad? In what ways are you like the bored lion?

Like two sides of a coin, when we don’t walk in the truth of our design, we either hide, pose or our strength is misused. What is your default right now?

We are starting a new adult Sunday School course beginning 29 January 2017. Some of you are familiar with The Truth Project. This study is produced by Focus on the Family and practically and personally introduces the learner to the truth claims of God. We will be meeting across the street from the church at 235 West Main Street, No. 104.

Men: if you are unable to attend in person, please feel free to video or audio conference with us. The study starts at 8:30 PM and we will have the video / audio conference links open shortly before then. If you have technical difficulty, leave a comment below.